Castle Hill High School Annual Report

8382

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2015

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2015 is

provided to the community of

Castle Hill High School as an

account of the school’s

operations and achievements

throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account

of the progress the school has

made to provide high quality

educational opportunities for

all students, as set out in the

school plan. It outlines the

findings from self-assessment

that reflect the impact of key

school strategies for improved

learning and the benefit to all

students from the expenditure

of resources, including equity

funding.

Message from the Principal

Message from the principal

2015 was a truly wonderful year for the staff, students and community of Castle Hill High School. Outstanding, unprecedented Higher School Certificate results, underpinned by quality programs to promote resilience and organisation, together with higher order writing skills, affirmed the school’s direction to “challenge minds and build character”. HSC results saw the school move into the top 100 school list, a goal pursued for the last few years. It was a testament to the determination and sheer hard work of both teachers and students.

Of course, there are many reasons for such outstanding results. The boys and girls mentoring programs, now well embedded into the fabric of the school, were important in realising high expectations in a supportive environment; the ALARM program which challenges students to become more analytical and critical with their writing has been recognised as pivotal in adding value to students’ work; use of coaching experts to model best practice in teaching and resource development were essential for many teachers; the high expectations of teachers who were tireless in correcting draft after draft and who delivered extra lessons after school on a weekly basis all added to the climate of practical, expert support.

The school also wanted to challenge itself to support students whose literacy and numeracy skills were below minimum expectations. Twenty four students in Year 7 were invited into a specialised, data - driven program to address and redress poor literacy and numeracy. These students showed improvement, some significantly.

While all of the programs offered at Castle Hill High School are important, more than anything it is the relationships between all stakeholders in this “small country town” community that are valued most. Respectful, nurturing, fun, spirited and supportive, this is a teaching and learning community united in its drive to make a difference.

Vicki Brewer

Principal

Message From the Students

Castle Hill High School’s Student Representative Council for 2015 embarked on another year of embracing the spirit of Castle Hill High School.

Our leaders, Emma Peake, Taylah Hallab and Naseem Hemmati were spectacular in leading the SRC body through multiple fundraisers, awareness campaigns and activities to raise school spirit and support new and on-going charities.

The SRC continued their support of the Jeans for Genes day charity and participated whole-heartedly in the Hill’s District Cancer Council Relay for Life. We fundraised for our two Ethiopian World Vision children, Jessy and Danny as well as continuing our sponsorship of a Red Panda and Snow Leopard at Taronga Zoo.

The SRC led the school in a food drive for Oz Harvest, a new charity that we hope to continue our participation with in the coming years. We also fundraised to help out the Nepal Earthquake Appeal with a mufti day. Funds raised assisted with medical expertise, medical supplies, food and basic sanitation.

Spirit Week was another success this year with ice-blocks and a sausage sizzle at the Year 11 vs Year 12 football game and a hilarious no hands eating competition. The SRC also sold merchandise including little teddy bears and ran a bake sale raising $3000 for Bear Cottage.

To celebrate our annual Multicultural Week the SRC ran a range of fun-day activities including a multicultural mufti day, multicultural music in PC, and Year 10 organised a multicultural food stall.

Through a tremendous effort by every grade, 2015 was a highly successful year for the SRC.

Year 7 took to the responsibility of leadership easily, participating in all events and meetings, presenting their ideas confidently and played a key role in this year’s SRC. We look forward to seeing them grow and develop their leadership skills throughout their time at Castle Hill High School.

Emma, Taylah and Naseem were brilliant leaders for our SRC and we thank them for their ceaseless efforts and dedication. Without these girls encouraging and guiding us through every project and obstacle we faced we wouldn’t have been able to achieve as much as we have this year.

Thank you to the staff of CHHS, the community members, P & C association and the student body for their contributions and participation in this year’s fundraisers and charities.

Congratulations to the 2016 SRC coordinators, Henrietta Amevor and Lachlan Smith. Further congratulations to our 2016 Junior co-ordinator Georgia Fugar. We know they will do an outstanding job in leading and guiding the next SRC. Good luck!

Thank you everyone for a great year!

P&C Annual Report 2015

This year has been a year of change for the P&C, including a significant change in the Executive committee and the adoption a mission statement, which we believe sums up our values and goals as a P&C.

Mission Statement

Castle Hill High School Parents & Citizens Association Inc. is a not for profit association consisting of parents, carers, teachers and members of the community. We exist to raise funds to enhance the educational experience of the students and staff of Castle Hill High School. We organise events and oversee the operation of the Uniform Shop and school Canteen, along with other endeavours, for the purpose of raising funds and providing a quality service to the school. The proceeds of our fundraising initiatives, including donations and grants, are primarily targeted towards enhancing the academic, social, emotional and physical well being of our students. Additionally we endeavour to empower parents and carers with information and knowledge to better support their children's education, growth and development at Castle Hill High School. We aim to promote an inviting, inclusive, cohesive and engaged community.

Our new Executive Committee is made up of a mix of current and new members, which is an excellent combination.

President: Ingrid Waite

Vice-Presidents: Anne-Maree Kinley

Trinity Quinn

Treasurer: Thomas Kunzler

Minutes Secretary: Katie Davis-Hall-Watson

Executives: Elizabeth Madders

Carolyn Vanderklauw

Mary Van Goor

John Payne

Graham Rosolen

Deanna Harichandran

Nick Tedesco

The P&C employs up to ten staff to manage and run the Canteen and Uniform shop with all profits going back into the P&C general account. Last year saw a joint profit of $85,000. This money is then used to directly benefit the school and students in a variety of ways. As part of this process the Executive Committee drew up a budget for 2016, which enables us to manage the shops income and expenditures and also to be financially transparent to all members.

The canteen saw the introduction of an online ordering system, through Flexischools, which has proven to be enormously successful and together with the increase in in-house catering, the canteen has seen a marked increase in profits for the year. Joanna Sutherland and the hard-working canteen staff have successfully managed these two new initiatives.

The Uniform shop, managed by Margaret Pritchard has also seen a year where profits have increased significantly and this is due to the introduction of the new weatherproof school jackets and I am very pleased to report that these jackets have proved to be incredibly popular. The Uniform shop has also introduced an updated version of the boy’s shirts, which includes a blue lining in the collar and side splits, this will be available from 2016 onwards.

As always our EMR committee has also been working tirelessly behind the scenes. Carolyn Vanderklauw is still a member of the EMERG committee, an Australia wide group that meets as an advisory body to ARPANSA and, as a

representative of CHHS P&C, she attends various EMERG meetings around Australia. She is a regular participant at our P&C meetings and is able to directly feedback her experiences at these meetings. As part of our desire to decrease the exposure of students to high EMR levels Elizabeth Madders, David Archbold and Anne-Maree Kinley are working closely with the school in trialling Wi-Fi switches that can be switched off in classrooms when not in use. Our aim is to install these switches in 2016, as well as to design posters that highlight the safe use of mobile devices.

The Relay For Life once again proved to be very successful community event, well managed and organised by Tracey Garnett, with the P&C providing a 24hr support team, tent and refreshments for all those wonderful students who got involved in the day. It always proves tiring in the early hours of the morning but the spirit of the CHHS students kept them going till the last hour.

We continue to promote our Building Fund, with our next major refurbishment project being the foyer of the school hall. We have introduced Facebook as a means of quick and effective communication and are continually striving to keep up to date with effective communications. Finally in response to the growing concern of the effects upon the school of the new train line and re-zoning of Castle Hill will have formed a new committee, which will ensure we are able to voice concerns to the appropriate parties.

As always none of this can be achieved without an exceptional School Executive team led by Vicki Brewer. The inclusive and open way they communicate and embrace the P&C Association into the school community makes it so much easier for us to reach our goals but also the dedication and expertise freely given by so many parents and carers benefits the students directly and also the wider school community and so I thank you all.

Ingrid Waite

President

Castle Hill High School P&C Association

School background

School vision statement

Castle Hill High School seeks to build character and challenge the minds of students and staff. We nurture the individual and encourage respectful relationships to inspire lifelong learning in the 21st Century.

School context

Castle Hill High School is a large, coeducational high school set in leafy surrounds with a population of approximately 1480 students (including over 100 international students) and 95 teaching staff. High expectations are reflected in the fact that academic excellence is prized as a priority, for all. Higher School Certificate results, in particular ATARs over 90 continue to reflect a school direction that places academic learning at the centre of the school’s direction. A very strong creative and performing arts program and dynamic sporting tradition complement the school’s academic focus in producing well- rounded students.

Technology enhancements over the last three years have seen a smartboard located in every teaching space, ensuring students have access to contemporary resources to aid learning. Additionally, substantial renovations of student recreation areas – such as improved canteen facilities, paving, modern seating, art gallery, shade areas and toilet upgrades - complement classroom enhancements and ensure that student well- being is a priority.

The school has important links with its partner primary schools and P and C in order to ensure that learning is based on a connected continuum. Relationships between students, teachers, parents and the wider community are highly valued by the school, so these partnerships are critical.

Flagship programs to enrich student lives and academic pursuits are important to the school. There is an exemplary boys’ and girls’ senior mentoring program designed to maximize potential and challenge student capacity. These programs have realized significant gains in HSC results. Additionally, the school’s student leadership and well-being programs, including innovative resilience and ethics training, are excellent and provide opportunity for students to learn about themselves, work in teams and take initiative.

The school believes strongly that values underpin all learning and all relationships. Thus, there is a school culture based on respect, cooperation, celebration and personal responsibility.

Self-assessment and school achievements

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

In 2015 the School Excellence Framework (SEF) was used as a tool to reflect on the school’s performance in Teaching, Learning and Leading. Still new for us as a process, and untested as a powerful instrument to self-assess, the school’s executive considered the SEF’s elements in a critical, collaborative and honest way. We wanted to consider high leverage pieces of evidence that would justify our claims – and this we found both affirming and challenging – and we wanted to consider our feedback in a culture of expecting and continuing to seek improvement. It was the belief of many that “excellence” cannot be overstated, undervalued or casually referenced; by its very nature, excellence ought to be rare.

In the domain of Teaching, evidence of the school’s whole- school professional learning focus, individual teacher’s probing HSC data analysis, programs like ALARM as a major focus of staff training, the Quicksmart literacy and numeracy programs, the PDF process ( adapted from the school’s excellent TARS/EARS process), which includes goal setting, reflection and classroom observations and the outstanding beginning and new teachers program were cited as strong, robust indicators that the school largely is “sustaining and growing” with small pockets of “excelling” in this domain.

In the domain of Learning, the school’s 2015 resilience program using a newly created Head Teacher Resilience under local schools local decisions, the gifted and talented program, the school’s deeply embedded student leadership programs to build school spirit and teamwork and the school’s connections with the community with such events as the annual Business Breakfast were cited as some of the very rich pieces of evidence that promote a positive learning culture, wellbeing of students and staff, a strong curriculum, reliable and consistent practices in assessment and reporting, and high academic performance. Again, these programs, and others, were determined by the executive as indicators that the school was “sustaining and growing” with some pockets of “excelling”.

In the domain of Leading, the school’s resource management was cited as an area of strength with significant refurbishment of the school’s grounds undertaken and faculties given substantial budgets to create modern resources and 21st century teaching and learning spaces. Good budgeting, using initiatives to enhance government funds, has seen the school’s 50 year old interior and exterior revamped. This is evidence of a school that expects to symbolically represent its values and expects students and staff to work and learn in aesthetic comfort. In addition, the school leadership team supports a culture of high expectation and community engagement with its wide business, industry and political connections. The school’s management systems and structures largely function well with evidence that some refinements could strengthen an already high expectation that systems must be clear, simple, unobtrusive and accessible so that teaching and learning can flourish. Again, the executive generally saw the school as “sustaining and growing” in this domain.

Strategic Direction 1

Challenging Minds

Purpose

To build student capacity that facilitates problem solving, critical thinking and intellectual risk taking in a challenging environment.

Overall summary of progress

ALARM

A Learning And Responding Matrix (ALARM) has been the major focus of teachers’ professional learning for the last two years. Teachers have collaboratively deconstructed the ALARM Matrix, sought advice from experts in order to challenge themselves and students, shared ideas and pursued deep conversations to find strategies to engage in higher order writing tasks in the senior school.

All faculties apart from Mathematics participated in ALARM professional learning conversations and workshops to design and deliver to students scaffolded templates for development of sophisticated responses in the senior school. Most teachers and most students engaged positively with the learning and both students and teachers saw improvement in higher order writing. While all students improved on their value added results, it was noted that students in the lower and middle ranges had significant value added gains at the HSC in 2015.

Quicksmart Literacy and Numeracy

The school also engaged in major reform in literacy and numeracy skill development for significantly underperforming Year 7 students. The program known as Quicksmart Literacy and Quicksmart Numeracy targeted 24 students who were at or below the national benchmark in literacy and numeracy according to significant data collection undertaken by a number of teachers. These programs came at significant cost to the school.

Students in Quicksmart Numeracy saw significant gains in PATmath test results. Qualitative data also suggested that students were more engaged with their mathematics work and approaches to lessons. An unintended outcome was that Mathematics teachers were deeply engaged in solution - focussed approaches to Maths lesson delivery.

Quicksmart Literacy began in 2015 with a focus on identification and preliminary implementation of this new program. While there is early evidence of promising and improved skill development for identified students, the coordinating teacher has already identified that further literacy skill development could be enhanced with changes to timetabling structures and additional supplementation to the program.

Problem Based Learning

Problem Based Learning, informed by the work of Burch, was undertaken as a trial with two Gifted and Talented Year 10 classes in 2015. Student feedback confirmed that collaborative work engaged students more and had a positive outcome on the quality of the tasks. Feedback from the Presentation Evening Forum was affirming, with students demonstrating impressive acquisition of knowledge, deep analysis of important concepts and excellent communication skills.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures Resources (annual)

Improvement measure (to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year <$>

75% of students will demonstrate value-added improvement in external examinations in Years 7,9 and 12.

Significant improvement of students demonstrated value-added improvement in the HSC. This was particularly evident in the student value added data from the lower and mid-range bands. The HSC results in 2015 were the school’s best results, with 23% achieving an ATAR over 90.

$5000

No student enrolled in Year 7, 2015 will fall below the national benchmark in literacy and numeracy in Year 9, 2017.

Based on the PATMath and PAT LIT data from 2015 75% of students made significant progress toward this target.

$250 000

Next steps

Quicksmart Numeracy and Literacy

Student identification procedures will continue to be refined so that students most in need are given priority. Further adjustment will be made to timetabling structures and staff training in order to maximize the power of these programs.

ALARM

Faculties will work more independently to tailor this program to their specific needs. New staff to CHHS will be inducted on ALARM basics and its application, as part of their professional learning at CHHS.

Problem Based Learning

This program will continue for a small number of gifted and talented classes to clarify its place in the school’s directions for the future.

Strategic Direction 2

Challenging Practice

Purpose

To continue to build on teacher capacity where personal reflection and feedback on quality teaching practice leads to challenge, engagement and innovation for students.

Overall summary of progress

Performance Development Framework

The school successfully evaluated its previous TARS and EARS processes and accommodated the strengths of these programs in the new Performance Development Framework thereby retaining classroom observations, data analysis, deep conversations and self-reflection, all of which are so important to the culture of this school. Teachers readily supported the adoption of the PDF, acknowledging its relevance to their professional development and its importance in building capacity. Consequently, all staff had their own individual Performance Development Plan in place by the conclusion of 2015.

Accreditation

Under the guidance of the Head Teacher Secondary Studies, the Induction program at CHHS has been refined, developed and delivered and has been evaluated as approaching best - practice.

A small group of experienced teachers have engaged in professional dialogue on higher accreditation levels of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures Resources (annual)

Improvement measure (to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year <$>

10% of teachers access higher levels of teacher accreditation.

3 teachers have begun the process of seeking higher accreditation at BOSTES

$5000

100% of teachers will have successfully maintained proficiency in Australian Teaching Standards.

All staff have an individual Performance Development Plan that is linked directly to the Australian Teaching Standards

$3000

Next steps

Performance Development Framework

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of each staff member’s PDP, faculty Head Teachers will be provided with significant release time to complete classroom observations and undertake conversations about teaching practice.

Classroom teachers, as critical friends, will also be provided with in lieu time to conduct observations and conversations about teaching practice.

The implementation of the Performance Development Framework will be evaluated as part of ongoing self-reflection at CHHS.

Accreditation

The school will continue to support those teachers seeking higher accreditation.

Visible Learning John Hattie

The school will commence professional learning on John Hattie’s Visible Learning in 2016. This will form the major strategic direction for building teacher capacity over the next two years.

Strategic Direction 3

Building Character

Purpose

To build character by establishing a culture that: • Values commitment and work ethic • Nurtures respectful relationships • Builds resilience • Facilitates curiosity • Promotes collaboration

Overall summary of progress

Resilience

The school embarked on a major resilience program using a newly appointed head teacher, (Head Teacher Resilience) under “local schools local decisions”. Initially, data was gathered via the “Tell Them From me Survey” to determine priorities in the program to be developed.

The brief for the new head teacher was to build programs to give students strategies to deal with adversity, improve self-esteem and develop strategies to “care for self and care for others”. Planned, delivered lessons to year 8 were conducted, a website developed and a program of student volunteering within the community was undertaken by year 10 students. Parents have indicated that they value the program, in particular the volunteering, and the school continues to evaluate its impact.

Glasser Training

17 staff were trained in William Glasser’s Basic Intensive week. All staff evaluated it highly and continue to use choice theory strategies in their own lives and their classroom.

Study Skills

The study skills program was changed considerably to become an optional program for students. The program was paired down to two modules- examination techniques and essay writing skills- after student evaluation suggested these were the priorities.

A larger number of students engaged with the study skills program in comparison to 2014.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures Resources (annual)

Improvement measure (to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year <$>

Wellbeing, engagement, effective teaching and student performance data in the ‘Tell Them From Me Survey’ is improved compared to ‘replica school’.

This was the first year of the resilience program. An in - school survey suggested that the program was well received. School spirit has always been positive and continues to flourish under this program. A resilience website was developed, a year 8 resilience skills program implemented and year 10 volunteering program was undertaken.

$40,000

Wellbeing, engagement, effective teaching and student performance data in the ‘Tell Them From Me Survey’ is improved compared to ‘replica school’.

Student and teacher wellbeing is predicated on positive relationships and this was further developed by a targeted group of 17 teachers undertaking Glasser Training.

$18,000

Next steps

Glasser

Glasser training is firmly embedded in the school and will always be part of the professional learning agenda for new staff.

Resilience

The school has evaluated the initial delivery of the Year 8 resilience program and has made refinements for its delivery in 2016.

By the end of 2016, the school community will undertake a review of the decision to vary the mix of staff under “local schools local decisions” to determine whether the head teacher resilience can be sustained in place of a third deputy principal, in light of increased student and teacher numbers.

Next Steps

Key initiatives and other school focus areas

Key initiatives (annual) Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background funding

All Aboriginal students had an individual learning plan (ILP) and made progress with key areas for success, especially attendance.

Cultural significance was highlighted with all Year 9 students successfully participating in a day of Aboriginal art and dance under the guidance of visiting elders.

$2724

English language proficiency funding

$221,000 paid for specialist EAL/D teachers to work with teachers to assist students, or to work with small groups of students in developing more sophisticated English skills.

An after-school Homework Club was established to give extra tuition to students needing assistance with English.

$240,910

Targeted students support for refugees and new arrivals

Assistance was given to refugee students in need of uniforms, fees for excursions and course fees.

$5450

Socio-economic funding

Students requiring assistance for course fees, uniforms, stationery, excursions were accommodated with this money.

$37, 056

Low level adjustment for disability funding

The Learning Support Team was a dynamic

team involving the Head Teacher Welfare,

the LAST, the school counsellor, the Careers

Advisor and a number of experienced SLSOs

who met weekly to determine priorities for

students in need and manage effective

strategies to improve the learning and

engagement of students in their care. They

closely worked with teachers from the Quick

smart Literacy and Numeracy programs.

The majority of money allocated in this area paid for the employment of the LAST and a number of experienced SLSOs who gave personalised service to students.

$180, 926

Support for beginning teachers

The beginning teacher program was designed for those new to teaching, those new to the school and those in their second and third year of teaching. A number of induction in-services and follow -up in- house in-services were conducted on the school’s cultural expectations, behaviour management and explicit teaching. All new teachers accepted an invitation to attend professional learning on Glasser’s Choice Theory. Additionally, all teachers new to the profession were allocated concession so that time could be spent with their mentors, including the Head Teacher Secondary Studies.

Classroom observations were regularly and enthusiastically conducted to share ideas and recommend a range of alternative strategies.

$51, 442

Mandatory and optional reporting requirements

Student information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Student enrolment profile

Student attendance profile

Retention Year 10 to Year 12

Post-school destinations

Proportion of students moving into post-school education, training or employment

Year 10

%

Year 11

%

Year 12

%

seeking employment N/A 3%

employment N/A N/A 12%

TAFE entry N/A 1% 9%

university entry N/A N/A 65%

other N/A N/A 14%

unknown N/A N/A

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or trade training

In 2015, 44 (19.5%) students were enrolled in vocational training or TAFE courses.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalent vocational educational qualification

In 2015, 98% of students attained HSC or equivalent vocational educational qualifications.

Workforce information

Reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Workforce composition

Position Number

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 2

Assistant Principal(s) 0

Head Teacher(s) 14

Classroom Teacher(s) 78

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.8

Teacher Librarian 1

Teacher of ESL 1.4

School Counsellor 1

School Administrative & Support Staff 20

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Stu

den

ts

Year

Enrolments

Male Female

0

25

50

75

100

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Att

en

dan

ce r

ate

Year

Student attendance rates

School State DoE

0.0

50.0

100.0

SC07-HSC09 SC09-HSC11 SC11-HSC13 NAPLAN 12-HSC15

Retention to Year 12 (SC to HSC / Year 9 NAPLAN to HSC)

School State

Position Number

Careers Teacher 1

Other positions 0

Total 119.2

The Australian Education Regulation, 2013 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce. Castle Hill High School currently has two indigenous teachers.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100%

Postgraduate degree 26%

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Professional Learning

The School Development Days and Whole School Professional Development Sessions on Thursday mornings provided the basis for whole-school Professional Learning. During 2015, the focus areas were ALARM and the introduction of the Performance Development Program.

ALARM - A Learning and Responding Matrix - seeks to help students learn how to learn by making the learning process EXPLICIT. Another purpose of ALARM is to promote deep understanding rather than superficial knowledge which is learned by rote. This is achieved partly by requiring us to employ higher order thinking skills, such as analysis and evaluation, but primarily by asking provocative questions which promote inquiry and reflection. ALARM also helps the school to build a learning community by helping us to adopt a common model and language of instruction to describe the process of learning and then responding or explaining. We all adopt an inquiry-based approach, we all seek deep understanding and we use a common language to describe how to do it across all subjects and years.

The Mathematics faculty continued to develop the key Stage 4 Numeracy intervention known by the acronym ‘RUMBLE’ and using the ‘Quicksmart Numeracy’ program of UNE, in which students are withdrawn from mainstream Mathematic classes for intensive instruction with a student teacher ratio of 2:1. The whole staff were also updated about the progress of an accompanying Stage 4 Literacy intervention introduced in 2015, based upon the ‘Quicksmart Literacy’ program of UNE.

Several workshops were also developed to support the adoption of new technology based teaching strategies for the implementation of BYOD devices at CHHS in 2015. These included Edmodo / Moodle / the Flipped Classroom / Teacher Organiser apps for the iPad / Web 2.0 Tools and Google Classroom.

Accreditation

Naomi Archeampong-Muller, Kylie Nelson, Kate Riley and Laurence Foster completed initial Accreditation at the level of Proficient Teacher during 2015. Nic Derricott, Wesley Lee, Annie Chiv, Nicole Best, Natalie Olivera, Megan Sampson, Matt Carey, Lisa Roberts and Matt Yiangou have begun the process. Sharon Shaw, Lachlan Smith and Monique Frangi completed their first five-yearly maintenance cycle at the level of Proficient Teacher. During 2016, CHHS will provide 10 Hours of Registered PD in-house (through Hattie’s Visible Learning) for teachers in the 5 Year Maintenance Cycle.

Financial information

Financial summary

This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance.

A full copy of the school’s 2015 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent and/or community groups. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school.

Financial summary for 229 (SAP) schools

School performance

School-based assessment Achievements

Creative and Performing Arts

Throughout 2015 the students and teachers of Castle Hill High School have continued to develop initiatives and opportunities for new achievements in the Creative and Performing Arts. Highlights included:

CAPA gained outstanding HSC results which included Dunja Tatic placed 3rd in the State in Visual Arts with

a mark of 99. Her major work was included in Art Express as was the work of Annabelle Roux. All four Dance students were nominated at least once for Callback. They were Georgia Kalebic, Bridie Kay, Demi McFarlane and Emma Peake. Fiona Kim’s Major Work in Drama was exhibited at OnStage. Laura McInnes’ monologue was nominated, and her Group Performance including Fiona Kim, Taylah Hallab and Caleb Mathieson was also nominated for OnStage and performed at OffStage.

Our annual school musical this year was HAIRSPRAY, which was the manifestation of months and months of hard work and dedication by students and staff. The school’s production of the popular culture classic more than exceeded expectations buoyed by the talented and enthusiastic students from Years 7-12 who brought their best to the stage with each performance. Dancers and singers alike captured the essence of the sixties, accompanied with flair by the exuberant orchestra. Together they proved that the students of Castle Hill High School truly are the ‘Nicest Kids in Town.’ Hannah Spinks was unforgettable as the animated lead, Tracy Turnblad. Her captivating stage presence and engaging voice swept the audience away. And let’s not forget her love match Link Larkin who completed the dynamic duo, performed with sizzling, swoon-inducing charm by Luke Arthur. The entire cast was sensational and worked together to create memories that will last us a lifetime.

This year’s Showcase, Midnight Jazz and Motown exposed the heart and soul of our vibrant school. Henrietta Amevor and Chloe Turley reprised their roles from the school musical to host the evening, bringing hilarity and sass to the stage and tying together the school’s best Music, Dance and Drama pieces. The soulful selection of performances included classic Motown hits performed by the rock band, concert band and student ensembles, a unique a capella rendition of a Michael Jackson medley, contemporary dance pieces that stirred our

Funds received through the Resource Allocation Model (Castle Hill High School)

Component RAM

11,510,934 11,713,293 0.96208 Education (96.2%)

Location -

Other Base 11,510,934

Equity 461,617

Aboriginal 2,724 2,724 0.00022 Aboriginal (0%)

Socio-Economic 37,056 37,056 0.00304 Socio-Economic (0.3%)

Language 240,910 240,910 0.01979 Language (2%)

Disability 180,926 180,926 0.01486 Disability (1.5%)

Equity Transition - - 0 Equity Transition (0%)

56,312 0.00463 Targeted Total (0.5%)

146,047 0.012 Other Total (1.2%)

Total 12,174,910

Financial Summary for the Year Ended 31 December 2015 (Castle Hill High School)*

2015 Actual ($)

Opening Balance

Revenue

Appropriation

Sale of Goods and Services

Grants and Contributions

Investment Income

Gain and loss

Other Revenue

Expenses

Recurrent Expenses

Employee Related

Operating Expenses

Capital Expenses

Employee Related

Operating Expenses

Surplus/Deficit for the Year

Balance Carried Forward

* date source: Schools Finance - Learning and Business

Base

Targeted Total

Other Total

1,648,125

37,589

925,134

449,877

12,312,431

13,725,032

1,572,893

-

-

(13,649,800)

(11,579,500)

(2,037,010)

75,233

-

(33,290)

RAM Funds

Education (96.2%) Aboriginal (0%)

Socio-Economic (0.3%) Language (2%)

Disability (1.5%) Equity Transition (0%)

emotions and complex and thought-provoking Drama items. The countless hours of time and effort that the students put into refining their pieces resulted in a fantastic show. We congratulate the students on their passion in demonstrating their creative talents, and the teachers who support and help them realise their dreams. This year’s Showcase fulfilled the brief; Castle Hill High really does have soul!

Photography and Digital media has enjoyed many successes this year to begin with the amazing participation of our students in the 2015 Castle Hill Show. A magnificent number of photography entries 73 in all to be exact, an all-time record. This is an enormous response for Years 9 and 10 Photography students in particular. This highly commendable effort was only surpassed by the wonderful array of prizes won by our students. Special congratulations go to our two Annual Show Champion and first place winner’s Jessica George and Kiara Milton for their inspiring, artistic portraits. Kiara also won first place for her botanical close-up image called Snowbells. Other first place winners collectively exhibit the high calibre of photography in this school include; Alex Limberger, Patricia Tuivai, Randall Abarquez, Danielle Tramosljanin and Sarah Kennedy. Second Place winners are Xanthe Petridis, Yuchen Xia, Madison Whiteside and Brittany Wright. The three winners in Third Place are; Dominick Wei, Zara Olsen and Jessica George. The successes continue to include the Highly Commended awardees; Madison Whiteside, Dominick Wei, Chante Scheffer, Dorsa Doosti, Renee Felsch, Emma Bevan, Darren You, Nikith Abraham Thomas, Denis Hasagic and last but not least Jessica George who received an award for all three entries.

In 2015 the CAPA department was proud to introduce “Photograph of the month” to exhibit the artistic and photographic talents of all our students. Each month saw the submission on many creative and original entries. The theme for the inaugural

Photography School competition in Semester 1 was “Care of Self Care of others”. It was very successful and well supported by the staff and students of the school. The first prize was awarded to a Year 10 group; Cameron Hucker, Ben Organ, Denis Hasagic, Wang Su Lee, Randall Abednego for their image of students being themselves in the playground. The photograph was taken from a high angle displaying a unique perspective and strong composition. This photograph was also chosen for Photograph of the month for August. The Semester 2 Photography competition themed “Spring” inspired great participation with 45 high calibre photographs submitted. The contest was tight and of such a high standard that 11 students were awarded prizes for their skill and creativity. It has been an exciting year for our photography department.

In Term 3 the annual Art show once again transformed the school auditorium into an Art Gallery where visitors could enjoy the artistic talents of Years 7-12 Visual Arts and Photography students. The school walkway forms a permanent Art Gallery as it displays exemplar examples of the creative and expressive skills of the students at Castle Hill High. The works range from those created by the junior students to HSC Bodies of Work and includes photography, sculpture, oil painting, drawing, lino prints and graffiti art. Works were rotated on a regular basis and all students have the opportunity to display their work.

Nicola Francia of Year 12 collaborated with Mrs Read as volunteers to paint a mural in a children’s play area at the Lisa Harnum foundation. This foundation provides housing for women and children dealing with domestic violence. It was a vibrant, uplifting piece based on the work of Dr Seuss. It was an excellent opportunity for students and staff to work together as artists in the community to help others using their creative skills.

Three items by Year 10 and Year 11 Drama classes were selected to perform as part of the Arts North Drama festival. The classes devised original, playbuilt pieces which were performed alongside schools from the region to a wide audience of students, parents and community members at the Parade Theatre at NIDA. The quirky Year 11 piece Sleep Tight was asked to perform multiple times at the State Drama Festival, including the VIP evening.

Laura McInnes was selected for the prestigious NSW Public Schools State Drama Company. She performed with the highly selective group all year, staring in the role of Leah in DNA at the Seymour Centre.

Three Year 10 students, Lachlan Anderson, David Clark and Angus Bevan, represented the school in the NSW Public Schools Millennium Marching Band. They performed in a wide variety of events such as Operation Art, Opera House concerts and the Schools Spectacular.

Music teacher Mr Powning steadily developed the skills of the Year 10 rock band ‘Konkrotch’. Their defining moment was their remarkable first performance at the Youth Rock ‘Battle of the Bands’. They gave an energetic, impressive performance and made it to the finals with their original compositions. They continued to perform at assemblies and events throughout the year to great acclaim.

The Castle Hill High Super Band was reinvigorated with an influx of junior students. Capably led by Mr. Derricott, the ensemble developed a repertoire of Big Band tunes and Soul classics, while also developing student’s individual ability to improvise over these forms and deepen their theory based knowledge.

A new ensemble, Phat Brass, was an energetic group of six boys from Years 9 & 10 that emerged during the year. The boys arranged their own music and wowed audiences at Showcase and at formal school events such as Orientation Day and Presentation Evening.

The String Ensemble rehearsed weekly on Tuesday mornings before school and performed at numerous school events. Their highlight for the year was a performance at Presentation Night performing Radioactive with the Acapella group.

The Concert Band continues to thrive under the direction of Mr. Steve Lavis. They have performed at a variety of venues in local schools and the community. Of particular note was an ”Earth Hour” performance via video link with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and many other bands including NASA’s Rocket Science Division at Langley in Virginia. It was a thrilling event. They also performed at Relay for Life and The Orange Blossom Festival, received a Highly Commended at the Ryde Eisteddfod, performed in Showcase and Spirit Week at the school and finished up the year with performances at Orientation Day and Presentation Day, and finished the year by performing Christmas carols at Castle Towers.

The CAPA staff is a talented group of artists in their own right who are invigorated by working alongside our students, mentoring and developing the creative endeavours of every student in the school. We are proud of all the individual and collective achievements of our students in the wide variety of contexts in which they exhibit and perform. We are honoured to assist them in developing their talents as well as guiding them in their life-long learning about themselves and their communities through the powerful medium of the creative and performing arts.

Individual Sporting Achievements

Age Champions

Swimming

12yrs Max Shvartsman, Taylor Horton

13yrs Ben Ku, Olivia Burns

14yrs Kumiko Delaney, Calum Sproull

15yrs Benjamin Crabtree, Rebekah Sefton

16yrs Max Gale, Stephanie Conyngham

17yrs+ Zoue Sefton, Joshua Cramer

X-Country

12yrs Solomon Maguire, Matilda Donkin

13yrs Sebastian Lezon, Olivia Burns

14yrs Ryan Duffy, Georgia Garnett

15yrs Garrett Swearingen, Rebekah Sefton

16yrs Kurt Garnett, Georgia Burgess

17yrs Alex Organ, Emma Jalalaty

18yrs Patrick O’Reilly

Athletics

12yrs Solomon Maguire, Ashlee Shimmon

13yrs Jacob Artyun, Jorja Lyberopoulos

14yrs Tom Gray, Georgia Garnett

15yrs Travis Donaldson, Carley Thomas

16yrs Kurt Garnett, Georgia Burgess

17yrs+ Alex Organ, Cassidy Williams

Hills Zone Representatives

This year we had many students selected to represent our Hills Zone in various sports. Congratulations to the following students who have demonstrated great skill and sportsmanship when representing our school within the wider community.

Dale Shai-Hee Tennis

Alex Limberger Tennis

Jeremy Grierson Tennis

Sophie Honeyman Tennis

Hanni Qureshi Squash

Connor Barrs Squash

Michael Odewanh-Oxley Squash

Lachlan Pulo AFL

Josh Cottam AFL

Ely Smith AFL

Calum Sproull AFL

Hayden Lyberopoulos Softball

Liam Gilchrist Softball

Allison Dallaway Netball

Ruby Anderson Netball

Hayley Chapman Netball

Breanna Brock Netball

Emily Clark Netball

Jessica Bellifemine Netball

Tiarne Flavin U/15 Touch Football

Molly Donkin U/15 Touch Football

Georgia Garnett U/15 Touch Football

Brent Flavin Touch Football

Kurt Garnett Touch Football

Oliver Waterfield Touch Football

James Salvador Touch Football

Patrick O’Reilly Hockey

Thomas O’Reilly Hockey

Liam Creagh Hockey

Kaitlyn Eagleton Hockey

Hannah Eagleton Hockey

Mandy Bronckhurst Hockey

Bethany Richmond Hockey

Emil Marcos Football

Cassidy Williams Football

Georgia Garnett Football

Daniel Green Football

Liam Gilchrist Football

Liam Daynes Football

Divan Laubscher Football

Lachlan Campbell Football

Damian Cupac Football

Taylor Cambaz Football

Connor Holmes Football

Ethan Zirh Football

Jameson Hinwood Football

Students at Castle Hill High School are provided with the opportunity to trial for various Sydney West Sporting Teams throughout the year. The following students have committed to these teams and worked extremely hard to succeed in their chosen sport. Congratulations to the following students for their performance on the court and field and for conducting themselves with great maturity and sportsmanship.

Sydney West Representatives

Dale Shai-Hee Tennis

Alex Limberger Tennis

Hanni Qureshi Squash

Connor Barrs Squash

Michael Odewahn-Oxley Squash

Allison Dallaway Netball

Ruby Anderson Netball

Patrick O’Reilly Hockey

Thomas O’Reilly Hockey

Liam Creagh Hockey

Kaitlyn Eagleton Hockey

Hannah Eagleton Hockey

Mandy Bronckhurst Hockey

Bethany Richmond Hockey

Lachlan McCarthy Baseball

Jordan McCarthy Baseball

Liam Gilchrist Baseball

Jameson Hinwood Baseball

Solomon Maguire Baseball

Hayden Lyberopoulos Baseball

Pheebe Watson Baseball

Alexis Lyberopoulos Baseball

Jorja Lyberopoulos Baseball

Josh Cottam AFL

Ely Smith AFL

Calum Sproull AFL

Liam Daynes Football

Lachlan Campbell Football

Brent Flavin Touch Football

CHS Representatives

Students from across the State came together to compete in a high level of competition at CHS Sporting Events. Congratulations to the following students for their outstanding efforts and skill in their nominated sports.

Zoe Petridis NSW Diving Championships

Ely Smith NSW AFL U/15 Championships

Josephine Lenaz NSW Netball U/15 Championships

Liam Gilchrist NSW Baseball Championships

Connor Barrs NSW Squash Championships

Michael Odewahn-Oxley NSW Squash Championships

Hanni Qureshi NSW Squash Championships

Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics Champions

Congratulations to the following students who were a part of the Sydney West Swimming Team;

Max Shvartsman

Julian Lee

Lachlan Soles

Ethan Dawrant

Ben Ku

Sam Moeser

Max Davis

Mitchell McVey

Olivia Burns

Taylor Horton

Eve Shvartsman

Kumiko Delaney

Rachel Hogan

Eva Tatic

Rebekah Sefton

Jayme Cline

Saaz Sahdra

Shannon Williams

Stephanie Conyngham

Zoue Sefton

Congratulations to the following students who received a gold medal at the event:

Rebekah Sefton (Gold medal in 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle)

Zoue Sefton (Silver medal in 400m freestyle and Bronze medal in 200m freestyle)

Kumiko Delaney (Gold medal in Butterfly).

Special recognition is awarded to the following students who represented Sydney West at the All Schools Cross Country Championships at Eastern Creek in July this year;

Georgia Garnett

Zoe Petridis

Matilda Donkin

Paris Hilal

Taylor Horton

Carley Thomas

Charlotte Sainsbury

Congratulations to Carley Thomas who ranked 2nd overall at the CHS event for students from government schools.

A large number of students qualified for the regional carnival and the following students then continued further to represent Sydney West at the NSW CHS carnival held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre. Congratulations to;

Jordan Jalalaty

Matthew Cottam

Travis Donaldson

Brent Flavin

Joel Flude

Kurt Garnett

Mitchell McVey

Zoe Petridis

Charlotte Sainsbury

Carley Thomas

Raaya Tiko

Matthew Vesperman

Rich Amevor

Jeffrey Barrett

Hannah Eagleton

Kaitlyn Eagleton

Sofia Georgescu

Rebecca Harris

Jack Lawrence

Ashlee Shimmon

Sally Shokry

Roshan Vasatharasan.

Congratulations to the following students who received a gold medal at the event:

Sally Shokry (Gold medal in discus)

Carley Thomas (Gold medals in the 400m and 800m races).

Sydney West Champions

Castle Hill High School at the end of 2015 was announced W.J Young Shield Champions within the Sydney West region. The award is presented to the

most successful sporting school in the Sydney West Region. The award is based on sporting participation and overall performance across all sports. The award is very prestigious and this is the first time that Castle Hill High School has received the honour. Congratulations to all students and teachers who participated throughout the year.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10.

The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments.

The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and numeracy testing. Click on the link My School and insert the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data.

NAPLAN - Literacy (including Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation)

Year 7

Year 7 Literacy

2015 was the eighth year that students completed the National Literacy Assessment. The Literacy component of NAPLAN was broken up into four sections including reading, writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation. Students at Castle Hill High School performed well with the average mark in all areas higher than our like school group average and the state average. 15% of our students achieved the highest band in reading, 5.3% in writing, 17.3% in spelling and 27.1% in grammar and punctuation. The following tables show the percentage of students in the relevant bands and how this relates to the previous school average, the like school average and the state average.

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Percentage in bands:Year 7 Reading

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Year 7 Numeracy

2015 was the eighth year that Castle Hill High School Students completed a National Numeracy Assessment (NAPLAN). Our students performed well above state average in all areas of numeracy: Number, Patterns & Algebra, Measurement & Data, Space & Geometry. 25% of our students achieved the highest band (9), 45% of them were in the top two bands, whilst 94% of them were in the top four bands. We had one third of the state average of students in the lower bands, and two students in the lowest band.

Compared with our similar schools, this Year 7 group is strong in all areas of numeracy, and is above the group average. The girls are notably stronger than the boys in this cohort.

Two students (1%) are identified as being below the National Mean Standard in Numeracy. Both were identified and assisted by our QuickSmart program.

The value added data shows this group has improved well above the state average in numeracy since the year 5 Basic Skills Test, with 214 (93%) of trackable students improving their scores.

79% of our Year 7 students improved at greater than or equal to the expected growth for the group.

Year 9

Year 9 Literacy

The year 9 cohort also performed well with the average mark in all areas higher than the state average. 9.9% of our students achieved the highest band in reading, 4.8% in writing, 11.67% in spelling and 11.2% in grammar and punctuation. The following graphs show the percentage of students in the relevant bands and how this relates to the like school average and state average.

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Percentage in bands:Year 7 Writing

Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2011-2015SSG % in Band 2015State DoE % in Band 2015

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Percentage in bands:Year 7 Numeracy

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Percentage in bands:Year 9 Reading

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Percentage in bands:Year 9 Spelling

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Percentage in bands:Year 9 Grammar & Punctuation

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Year 9 Numeracy

21% of our students were ranked in the High band (10), 48% in the top two bands, while 93% were in the top four bands.

Compared with the state, this Year 9 group is strong in all areas of numeracy, and right on par with our similar schools. The girls appear much stronger than the boys in this group.

Of all the 226 students trackable (out of 254) since year 7, 25 are reported with a lower overall numeracy score. This means that 89% of our students moved forward in numeracy over their first two years at High School.

Three students (1.2%) are identified as being below the National Mean Standard in Numeracy.

The value added data shows this group has improved well above the state average in numeracy since the year 7 NAPLAN Test, 59% of students improving by more than expected.

Compared to our local school group, and to the state, our value added data puts us slightly lower than both. This is a trend we continue to work on.

Higher School Certificate (HSC)

In the Higher School Certificate, the performance of students is reported in bands ranging from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest).

In the 2015 HSC, a sensational performance on the part of Castle Hill High School students was evident. Our results clearly reflect the hard work of students and teachers and the school’s commitment to

academic excellence as a priority coupled with a talented and diligent HSC student group.

Some of the more noteworthy achievements of the 2015 HSC cohort were:

204 Band 6’s earned in 2015 compared to 95 in 2014, 113 in 2013,115 in 2012, 111in 2011 and 91 in 2010

All - rounder’s (Band 6 in 10 units) : Demi McFarlane, Laura McInnes, Cuan McLeman, Sarah O’Dowd, Annabelle Roux, Kevinly Santoso & Dunja Tatic

Top Achievers (place in state) Dunja Tatic – Legal Studies & Visual Arts

Overall course results were very strong:

92 % of courses had overall results (school mean) above the state average up from 39% in 2014.

31 out of 39 courses had school versus state variation that was greater than 1(80%), while 22 out of 39 courses had school versus state variation that was greater than 2(56%).

62% of courses had a percentage of Band 6 grades which was above the state average up from 28% in 2014.

80 % of courses had combined percentages of Bands 5 & 6 above the state average up from 51% in 2014.

67% of courses had combined percentages of Bands 5 & 6 at 50% or above up from 39% in 2014.

80% of courses had combined percentages of Bands 0 to 2 at 10% or below up from 68% in 2014. 85% of courses had combined percentages of Bands 0 to 2 at below the state average.

With regard to our relative HSC academic performance compared to our Statistically Similar Group and in comparison to the average for New South Wales Schools in general, exceptional results were also achieved in 2015. For the 30 individual courses attempted by Castle Hill High School students in 2015 our students achieved marks on average which were above those of the state in 26 of these courses. When compared to our Statistically Similar Group, Castle Hill High students received higher average marks than our SSG for 21 courses.

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HSC course summary table

Ancient History 74.1 71.9 76.4 68.8

Biology 77.7 76.5 74.6 69.5

Business Studies 79.8 78.5 76.6 71.1

Chemistry 76.9 77.2 77.2 75.5

Community and Family Studies 79.8 76.7 76.2 70.9

Design and Technology 90.0 83.3 77.1 73.4

Drama 82.5 79.6 78.4 75.2

Economics 77.5 73.2 77.2 76.0

Engineering Studies 75.4 71.5 79.1 75.2

English (Standard) 71.6 67.8 70.9 65.7

English (Advanced) 82.4 80.0 82.5 80.1

English as a Second Language 71.5 73.2 75.3 70.3

English Extension 1 87.5 82.1 85.1 84.1

Food Technology 75.2 74.9 75.0 68.4

Geography 78.3 80.5 75.7 69.6

Industrial Technology 74.8 70.6 76.6 67.7

Information Processes and Technology 83.0 79.2 77.1 71.3

Legal Studies 82.9 79.1 79.7 72.3

Mathematics General 2 73.6 71.9 74.0 65.4

Mathematics 74.6 74.4 79.7 77.1

Mathematics Extension 1 83.8 81.4 82.1 82.4

Mathematics Extension 2 86.1 81.0 81.3 83.4

Modern History 80.6 78.6 77.5 72.5

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education 79.6 75.4 75.9 71.3

Physics 70.0 71.5 73.8 72.1

Software Design and Development 82.5 75.0 76.6 72.1

Visual Arts 84.3 79.2 82.4 77.6

Japanese Beginners 78.7 77.3 74.0 72.3

Japanese Continuers 80.0 80.9 80.7 80.4

Hospitality Examination (Kitchen Operations and Coo 77.7 77.7 0.0 73.6

Course School 2015School Average

2011-2015SSG 2015

State DoE

2015

As for Castle Hill High School’s relative performance from NAPLAN Year 9 (Cohort Progress), we continued to substantially progress for the Middle and Low performance bands (value of 9.4 and 9.8 respectively) in the 2015 HSC. However, our Cohort Progress was less impressive for the High performance band where we perform noticeably below the SSG average for 2015, our value was -0.4 compared to an SSG of 3.0 (see chart below).

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HSC: Relative performance from NAPLAN Year 9 (Cohort Progress)

School 2015 SSG Average 2015

Parent/caregiver, student, teacher satisfaction

Tell Them From Me Student Survey

The TTFM student survey was conducted in March and in November, 2016. It provided the school with a great deal of data enabling us to focus and plan on future strategies to Challenge Minds and Build Character.

A variety of interesting and useful data was highlighted in the survey.

The survey found CHHS students have a high level of academic self-concept, although 59% of the girls compared to 68% of the boys in this school revealed they had high levels of academic self-concept. Females also had lower expectations in going to university than males. In particular, the survey revealed girls in Year 8-10 continued to find class learning time less effective and had lower engagement levels than their male counterparts. Girls were also aware they were not working in classes as effectively as they could be. Conversely, effort in Year 12, by males and females increased substantially.

Students had a high participation rate in extra-curricular activities with plays, musicals, peer support, SRC, fundraising clubs and photography being accessed by our students. Students also felt (90%) they displayed positive behaviour at school resulting in positive relationships with their friends although male positive relationships showed a decrease from March to November.

Moreover, the November survey revealed an increase in the number of male students (particularly in Years 7 and 9) who had encountered bullying. Data revealed 27% of the boys said they were victims of moderate to severe bullying including physical bullying or any one of verbal, social or cyber bullying more than about once a week in the month previous to the survey. Positive Teacher-Student relations were highest for Years 7, 11 and 12. Most importantly, all students felt they have someone at school who consistently provides encouragement and can be turned to for advice. This is an area CHHS is working on with regard to further refining and improving processes and referrals to combat the issue.

Students were also mainly happy with their life. 31% of students felt they had high levels of happiness and 22% of students said they had low levels of happiness. Girls’ happiness was markedly lower than their male counterparts and they also had lower levels of optimism. Students also had a positive

sense of belonging. Programs such as extra-curricular activities, Ethics (Year7), Resilience (Year 8) and Year 10 Volunteering continue to hone in on combating this issue.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

In 2015, Castle Hill High School had five students attend the school who identify as Aboriginal. Each student develops a personalised learning plan in conjunction with the Aboriginal Student Liaison which focuses on developing students' academic, extracurricular and cultural goals for the year. Students who take part in the personalised programs have engaged in TAFE courses, Indigenous competitions such as the Banjo Patterson Writing Awards and the school's gifted and talented program. Through these programs our Indigenous students are challenged to strive for their best and reach their personal goals. As part of the program students are also mentored in their tertiary and career goals to ensure they are making use of all opportunities and getting the most out of their education.

2015 was a very successful year academically, but the program also led students to explore more about

their cultural heritage and the local history of the Dharug people. This included a whole day incursion for Years 9 and 10 was led by the Koomurri educational Group. The day culminated in the production of a mural containing the hand prints of every participant.

There was also a huge focus on “Sorry Day” with each Pastoral Care class contributing their thoughts to a massive collage that was displayed in the A Block corridor.

In 2016, we hope to continue on this track to form closer links to the local Indigenous community.

Multicultural Education and Anti-racism

Castle Hill High School continues to promote multicultural education and diversity. Our Multicultural Day is a good example of a range of events and activities promoted by Castle Hill High School to ensure our students value Multicultural Education.

About this report

In preparing this report, the self-evaluation committee has gathered information from evaluations conducted during the year and analysed other information about the school’s practices and student learning outcomes. The self-evaluation committee and school planning committee have determined targets for the school’s future development.

Vicki Brewer - Principal

Ross Warren - Deputy Principal

Lloyd Das - Head Teacher Computing

Ingrid Waite - P and C President

School contact details:

Castle Hill High School

Castle Street, Castle Hill

Castle Hill, 2154

http://www.castlehill-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/

castlehill-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

9634 4199